Law Insanity Defense Applied in Great Britain

Guilty But Insane
For this week’s assignment, you will evaluate criminal justice in selected countries. Since mens rea refers to criminal intent, the concept of guilty but insane sounds like an oxymoron to most people. Chapters 1 and 3 in the course text discuss international perspectives on criminal law. Find additional credible sources to research criminal intent in Great Britain and Norway. The Daniel McNaughton and Anders Breivik cases might be helpful. These cases are notorious for the guilty but insane defense in Great Britain and Norway.

For your assignment
• Assess how criminal intent in these two countries differs from the United States when it comes to an insanity defense.
• Describe at least one case in each country (Great Britain, Norway, and the United States) where this defense has been used successfully.

Required Resource
Text
Reichel, P. L. (2018). Comparative criminal justice systems: A topical approach (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
• Chapter 1: An International Perspective
• Chapter 3: An American Perspective on Criminal Law
Recommended Resources
Articles
Baumann, P. T., Brown, J. O., & Subrin, S. N. (1992). Substance in the shadow of procedure: The integration of substantive and procedural law in Title VII cases (Links to an external site.). Boston College Law Review, 33(2), 211-303. Retrieved from http://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1948&;context=bclr